


Just Before Nightfall

by maydependent



Category: Rammstein
Genre: M/M, fairytale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27578116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maydependent/pseuds/maydependent
Summary: Once upon a time, in a land far far away - isn't that how all fairytales begin? This fic is based on an old Finnish childrens' song, Päivänsäde ja Menninkäinen (loosely translated: Ray of Light and Forest Elf), that tells us a story of two little creatures meeting just before nightfall.
Relationships: Richard Kruspe/Paul Landers
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	Just Before Nightfall

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for HanHan_Solo156 for beta and Goose for support. All remaining mistakes and weidness are mine. Things in this fic didn't of course happen, and I do not own the R+ boys (though it would be very lovely).

Once upon a time...

A hidden meadow bathed in the warmth of late August sun. The remnants of sea breeze had slowly died as the sun began to set, wrapping everything in a soft stillness of evening air. The cool velvety mist started rolling into the corners of the meadow where sun could no longer reach. Tiny droplets of moisture began to form in the shadows beneath the fern leaves by the stream.

A group of tiny fairies, none taller than your pinky finger, were racing after the glimmering rays of light. Brushing the flowers gently with their hands, Buttercups, Cranesbills, Knapweeds, Daisies began slowly closing their petals to prepare for the darkness of the night that was still looming by the edge of the forest.

A tiny fairy, smallest of them all, with gold dusted skin and delicate shimmering wings stood in the crown of a particularly high wildcarrot. Being the oldest of them, Paul carried his supervisor role with great responsibility, but was always ready for some mischievous fun. The windswept blonde hair tied to a bun high on his head and few loose strands framed his kind eyes, pointy little chin, and deep smile lines. His bare chest and silky trousers carried a dusting of Meadowsweet pollum. 

“Hey Olli!” he yelled at a taller fairy boy who was sitting on a fallen tree trunk, head plunged deep into a wild blackberry. “Get your head out and get moving. There’s still plenty of work to do in your sector”.

The slender fairy jumped up grinning, purple juice staining his cheeks, and gave a mock salute and took off racing after its mates.

“Flake, Christoph!” Paul turned toward a group of fairies who were occupied with a huge bush of Musk Mallow flowers.”Hurry up you lazy asses, the Nightingales are already here, stop bickering and get going already.”

"Yeah yeah, Paul," the fairies replied in unison, finishing their task and taking off.

The fairy swooped a short distance and landed on a large mossy green boulder that towered above the meadow and blew his golden whistle. The high pitched rhythmic sound covered the entire meadow and caused flocks of butterflies to take off and slowly flutter towards the brighter south western skies.

The dance of the butterflies was the most beautiful thing he has witnessed even though he had already seen it hundreds of times. Green hairstreaks, Old World swallowtails. Holly blues and Marbled whites swirling above the meadow. Paul stood there hands crossed, observing, and once satisfied, blew the whistle again - this time slower and longer and then watched as the Golden-ringed Dragonflies soar from the banks of the small stream and joined the other winged creatures on their journey.

Just as he was about to take off and head after his kind, Paul fumbled the whistle and sent it bouncing down.

“Oh fuck,” he cursed as the whistle disappeared from his sight, “shit”.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the other fairies have already reached the other end of the meadow where the ground gently sloped gently towards an old oak. He skipped down the mossy hill trying to spot the whistle.

“Where did you go…” he puffed and muttered as he landed on the ground, eyes scanning the surroundings.

“Krhm…”

Paul halted his steps at the sudden voice and furrowed his eyebrows making crow's feet appear in the outer corners of his eyes. He stiffened his posture trying to make himself look more menacing than he really was, and squeezed his tiny hands into fists, ready to defend himself. 

At the edge of the forest, between fern leaves that covered the ground around the majestic Western Hemlock trees, Paul spotted a stranger.

It was another little creature, not much taller than him, with spiked raven black hair, pointy little ears. Worn greyish black baggy shorts, with a patch on the knee, hanging low on his hips with three overlapping belts woven of roots and spider webs. Pale peat stained skin, like he had never seen the sun. A necklace made of dried red seeds hanging low over his muscular chest - and as a cherry on the top, the most beautiful dark coal framed sky blue eyes that Paul had ever seen.

The fairy had never met a creature of the darkness, only heard stories of them. Just as fairies where the children of the sun, the forest elves are creatures that spent their entire lives in night and shadows. He could see the dusk beginning to cover the woods towards the meadow at an accelerating pace and stretched his wings to take off.

“Wait.” The voice was a bit shy and smooth as the softest hanging moss or newest rose petal, that Paul has ever touched. “Don’t go,” the creature pleaded.

Paul turned on his heels and lowered his wings to face the creature that had stepped forth from under the fern leafs. The creature smiled shyly and Paul could feel a pale blush creep on his own cheeks. 

“I kind of have to," Paul replied, eyes observing the creature with growing interest. “The sun is setting soon.”

“Just wait. I want to have a look at you - I’ve never seen something so beautiful in my life,” the creature said squinting its eyes at the brightness and stepped cautiously closer to Paul, carefully avoiding the last rays of light that still illuminated the edge of the forest. The pale blush on Paul's golden cheeks had now turned to primrose pink and he was pretty sure his little fairy ears were red too. 

“Who… ...or what are you?” the fairy quipped back as the creature measured him from head to toes with his eyes. He was not sure if these creatures of the night were really of danger to fairies like him. 

“Errrr, I'm Richard, you know, a forest elf and I live in that little cave right there,” he said turning and pointed towards a crack below the big boulder. "I woke up, you know, when your whistle came clattering down to my den and, yeah, almost hit me in the head.” Richard brought his hand forward showing the whistle hanging off his fingers.

Paul assessed the forest elf standing in front of him. Besides the almost submissive posture, the slightly nervous babbling and waving hands made him look even less threatening. And regardless of his accusation, he didn't look angry, but had a tiny shy smile on his lips. 

“Oh. I’m sorry, err, you know." Paul's face twitched at the realisation of him inadvertently mimicking the elf's nervous mannerism. "I was looking at the butterflies dancing in the sky, tumbled and ended up dropping my whistle,” Paul apologised. “I see you found it.” He stepped closer to Richard with newfound confidence, not afraid of the dark creature anymore.

“You’re welcome… “ Richard looked at him questioningly.

“Paul. I’m Paul.” 

“Lovely to meet you Paul - that’s such a pretty name.” 

Paul saw the black-haired creature stare at him fixedly, with his dark lips slightly lopsidedly ajar. The kind words made the tiny fairy heart beat even faster than it usually did, sending miniscule sparks all over his body.

They were only a few fairy arm lengths apart, Paul standing in the last streak of sunlight whereas Richard put his toes near the edge of the shadow, propped his left leg high up on a pebble, and then stretched his arm and swang the whistle by it’s this golden yarn to Paul's reach. 

“Thanks,” Paul said as he catched the whistle, shoving it in his pocket, eyes still locked at Richard's. “Thanks for this, I couldn’t afford to lose it”. 

“I’ve never seen the butterflies dance in the sky” the elf interrupted Paul's ogling. “It must be beautiful. We only get to see dark night moths where I live.”

Paul's nervous fidgeting stopped as he was so mesmerized by Richard's handsome looks, kind eyes, beautiful body, and never ending compliments. “Oh, it’s my favourite, all colors of the rainbow are visible as they dance in sunlight...”

“A rainbow - what’s that? Must be something beautiful.”

The fairy stared in the shining blue eyes. “I’m sorry,” he stammered, “that’s stupid of me to forget that you’d need sunshine to see a rainbow. It’s the combination of the most beautiful colors that nature has to offer, painted on the sky or on droplets of morning mist."

Paul glanced nervously at the impending darkness and began to retreat towards the top of the boulder to stay under the last sun rays. Richard followed him mesmerized, like a moth drawn to a light.

“Coloured with red like the sweetest strawberry, orange like a summer sunset, yellow like… “ Paul spread his wings and effortlessly jumped up on a smaller rock and paused to think. “...Yellow like my whistle that tried to hurt you, sorry.” Richard crawled upwards after him, hoisting himself up the slippery hill. 

“Then there’s green like the softest spring leaves, blue like your eyes." Paul's eyes blew wide at the Freudian slip. He had already reached the top of the boulder, and stared into the western horizon where he’d have to take off soon. He could hear Richard puff as he climbed up nearing the peak. "Indigo as the summer night sky. And the last is violet, like, well, violets.”

Richard smiled and carefully stepped closer to the fairy, having now reached the top of the boulder. “Don’t be sorry. I don’t think there can be anything more beautiful than what you just described." He squinted his eyes a little at the sparkling brightness of Paul's wings but bravely reached his hand towards them, stopping before the touch as to ask permission. Paul couldn't really feel scared of a creature so kind and went against all fairy rules by nodding shyly to give permission.

“I think I can see a rainbow in your wings,” Richard said, scrunching his eyes as he gently caressed the edge of the delicate transparent wing with his dirt blackened fingers. 

Blood rushing in his veins, and breathing so shallow, Paul had never felt this warm even though fairies like him are bathed in the warm rays all their lives. His entire skin was tingling, from his toes to the point of his ears, and he could hear the heartbeat drumming in his ears. 

Richard slid his hand carefully to Paul's slender waist, caressing the silky skin and leaned closer that their chests almost touched. The elf had to close his eyes because the fairy skin and wings were shimmering so brightly that his eyes burned. “And I can feel and smell the sunshine on your skin.”

Paul's eyes and wings fluttered at the touch, toes almost leaving the ground, but Richard's hands kept him grounded. His eyes measured the elf's sharp jaw, dark lashes, muscular shoulders, and then returned to the blackened lips that were pointed slightly upwards as the elf was carefully scenting him. Paul was growing very fond of the little creature in front of him. 

Not paying any attention to the impending darkness, Paul bit his lip, smiling widely as the elfs warm hands gingerly stroked his sides. He then lifted his own hand, reached behind Richard's neck, making the elf freeze, and then leaned forward and pressed their lips together.

Richard sighed in happiness, pulled the fairy closer until their chests touched and then just stayed there lips on lips.

It was sparkling sun against evening stars, summer berries against juniper bark, rose petals against earthy peat.

"Come and live with me in my cave. I don't care if I go blind from your brightness." Richard murmured eyes closed, pulling back slightly, panting from the kiss.

"Richard, I can't," Paul replied, with moist eyes. "The darkness would be the death of me. I have to fly, towards the sun. It's getting cold."

Paul felt Richard nodd, then one last soft kiss was placed on his forehead. The elf stepped backwards, peeking carefully at the fairy from between his fingers.

Paul touched his forehead where the lips had been, then his lips that were still pleasantly tingling, and then squeezed his hand to a fist to not lose the kiss.

Not knowing what to say, he just looked with his sad eyes into Richard's glistening ones for a short moment, then turned around, and took off to the sky.

Richard watched as the fairy flew away, becoming a small dot, before soon disappearing in the golden and purple evening sky. He stood there alone until the darkness had engulfed the forest and the meadow, and last rays of sun had been replaced with the first evening stars, wondering why one had to be the child of the sun and the other a creature of darkness.

The End.


End file.
